Lots to do at City farm this evening, getting ready for the open day this weekend! We split into groups to get everything done, including moving a huge pile of wood chips across the farm, creating wildlife booklets and filling hundreds of bags of hay. We also met the friendliest kitten in the world, who was very involved in everything. Half the group met up to run to the task, others cycled in and Beth added a little extra adventure by going to the wrong farm first!

Our final balsam bash of the 2026 season included a mega litter-pick and too many nettle stings to count! At first it looked like there wasn't much balsam to pick but once you spotted one plant there was always more to follow. There were lots of smaller ones coming back through and a few flowering, but fortunately still no seeds ready to pop. The undergrowth had us going on a right adventure clambering over fallen trees and skirting around nettles. I wasn't sure if everyone would find their way back out at the end! A head count revealed we hadn't lost anyone and had gained many bug bites along the way! We'll see you same time, same place next year :)

Tonight we got to work tidying up the flower beds in the Rose Road car park. A lot of the plants were overgrown in the sensory garden, bindweed had taken over and rubbish had blown in off the street. We carefully pruned, pulled, picked and swept to leave the main flower bed looking much smarter and the parking spaces clear. I don't know about everyone else, but I worked so hard with the secateurs I got a blister!